Abstract
Long non-coding RNAs are essential to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development, progression, and incidence of drug resistance. However, the biological significance of long non-coding RNA muskelin 1 antisense RNA (MKLN1-AS) remains poorly characterized. In this study, we observed noticeable increased levels of MKLN1-AS in HCC tissues. This upregulation of MKLN1-AS was clinically associated with vascular invasion and decreased disease-free survival and overall survival of patients with HCC. Functionally, MKLN1-AS-knockdown dramatically suppressed the metastasis and growth of HCC cells in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, the knockdown of MKLN1-AS augmented the pro-apoptosis effect of lenvatinib. Taken together, our findings indicate that MKLN1-AS may be exploited as a potential prognostic predictor and therapeutic target for HCC treatment.